The present invention is directed to wireless communication, and more particularly to asset location and tracking systems.
Businesses have an ongoing need to track and inventory assets. This is particularly critical for high-value assets such as in portable communications test equipment used by the telecommunications industry. When valuable equipment is portable, it is susceptible to theft, as well as loss or misplacement. Because such equipment may be used at remote locations outside the premises of the business, conventional security measures such as locking down equipment and guarding against its removal are impractical.
In addition, even where security is not a concern, equipment may be misplaced and not locatable when needed, even if safely stored on the proper premises, leading to increased equipment costs to ensure an adequate inventory. Also, some equipment may include specialized hardware and software that may have different versions, different update status, and different compatibility for different uses. It may be difficult for an inventory system to monitor the particular characteristics of each item, so that the most appropriate item can be located, or so that deficient items can be efficiently located for updating.
Systems have been proposed to track assets using global positioning system (GPS) signals, with cellular transceivers reporting the assets"" locations. While possibly suited for some applications, these are not useful for areas where GPS signals do not reach, such as the interior of most buildings where many types of assets are most likely to be found.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a communication module for an asset to be monitored. The module operates to periodically a signal from a monitoring facility via a first wireless communication system, and in response to the absence of the signal at an expected time, communicating with the module via a second wireless system. The first system may be a short range system operating inside a limited facility, and the second system may be a cellular phone system. The module may include a global positioning receiver, so that the module may report its location via the second system to the monitoring system when it is taken from the transmission range of the first system.